Starring Cliff Curtis, Chipo Chung, Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada
Directed by Danny Boyle
Distributed by Fox Home Entertainment
“Sunshine … sweet love my labor
Don’t mind … I don’t care no more”
What? Oh yeah, movie review. Sorry I was having an Alice in Chains moment. We miss ya, Layne!
There’s no doubt Danny Boyle is a tremendous filmmaker. His work speaks for itself having released some sure to be classic films like 28 Days Later. I really dug that flick, but I’m still not entirely sure that I liked it on its own merits or the merits of the films it emulated, like Romero’s Dead trilogy. Either way there’s a fine line between imitation and inspiration and Danny definitely put his own stamp on that project. Now along comes his latest effort, Sunshine, and I must admit, I have that all too familiar taste in my mouth yet again.
Don’t get me wrong. Sunshine is an amazing film. It’s beautiful, frightening, and delivers everything you could want from a movie experience. But wow does it remind me of Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon. There’s no question Boyle’s film is way superior to Anderson’s on every conceivable level, but the similarities are uncanny.
In Event Horizon while on a mission a space rescue team comes across a haunted ship that disappeared several years ago. They are warned not to board it via a spooky distress message left behind on the ship but choose to ignore it. As a result one of the crew ends up horribly scarred and begins slaughtering the rest while proclaiming he is some form of god.
Sure there’s a bit more to Sunshine, like why it was important that they board the other missing ship, and oh yeah, that whole pesky Sun going out business, but do you get where I’m going?
All that aside, Sunshine‘s biggest flaw lies in the instance that as soon as the character of said horribly scarred madman is introduced, the movie shifts focus and tone. It feels all of a sudden uneven. As if someone just completely changed gears on you. Gone is the epic sci-fi story, and in its place we’re left with your basic slasher fodder. Then there’s the surrealistic ending that I will not give away in the interest of spoilers. Ugh! What happened, man? Everything was chugging along so very well! If the last act of the film ends up flying with you, then you’ll probably end up loving this movie. If not you’ll be left, much like me, not terribly disappointed but scratching your head. Either way, shortcomings aside, Sunshine is an amazing film that should become required viewing for any sci-fi or horror fan.
And there you have it, folks! Another new DVD that’s worthy of a spot in your home video library that’s artsy enough to please your film snob friends while remaining visceral enough to keep even the most jaded of horror fans glued to the screen. Simply put, Sunshine delivers.
Special Features
4 out of 5
Special Features:
4 1/2 out of 5
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